Tech-savvy over 50s feel shut out by the likes of Apple and Samsung

Tech-savvy consumers over the age of 50 have said they feel ignored by tech giants such as Apple and Samsung, even though 21% said they could not live without their smartphone.

Over 50s: the majority feel ignored by tech brands says survey

Research from High50 has found that 66% of consumers between the age of 50 and 64 feel that marketing and advertising is aimed at 16- to 34-year-olds in nearly every sector, while admitting that they feel advertisers are either "not at all" or "barely interested" in them as a target audience.

Technology giants such as Apple and Samsung were among the brands found to target the over 50s the least, with 95% of the demographic feeling they were not targeted at all, despite 21% saying they could not live without a smartphone or computer technology, and 57% saying that they quite liked it.

High50 surveyed more than 1,300 people between the ages of 50 and 64 in May, and found that one in five feel "absolutely excluded" from brand marketing.

Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and the BBC were the top three brands who were found to actively talk to the 50- to 64-year-old target market.

James Burrows, chief executive of High50, said the study highlighted a "vast disunity" between advertisers' targets and "those with any spending power".

He said: "A stunning 67% of those with children aged over 21 and still living at home, support them financially, yet our most economically powerful generation is one that is largely ignored by advertisers.

"It is clear that existing preconceptions about the over 50s is significantly outdated, and it’s time we acknowledged that for many, becoming 50 is the start of the better half of their lives."